When Margaret Marshall came to the UC San Diego campus in 1975 as its first full-time dance faculty, dance classes were taught through the Physical Education department, on the floor of a gym.

The university announced today, “Professor emerita Margaret C. Marshall, founder of the dance program at the University of California, San Diego, has established with her husband, Mark G. Marshall, a $100,000 endowment fund to continue the legacy of dance in the Division of Arts and Humanities.

Margaret Marshall headed the dance program at UC San Diego from 1975-1997, 2000-02 and 2004-2005.

The Margaret C. Marshall Dance Endowment will provide support for undergraduate dance productions in UC San Diego’s Department of Theatre and Dance in keeping with the eclectic curriculum Marshall established during her tenure.”

Marshall said she and her husband wanted to create an endowment that would support undergraduate dance students and give them an arena to show the world their talent

“Student productions offer invaluable training for professional careers,” she said. “In San Diego, there are many UC San Diego dance alumni who are leaders, teachers, choreographers, directors, performers and patrons.”

The list extends throughout the U.S. and around the world, including dance artists Monica Bill Barnes, Anthony Diaz, Matthew Armstrong, and Kyle Sorensen.

“Margaret founded the whole program, and she was a wonderful boss and mentor,” said Jean Isaacs of San Diego Dance Theater. “When I began teaching there, I was a single mother with two kids and she was always understanding and inspiring.

Since retirement, Marshall has served on the board of trustees for San Diego Dance Theater. She also curates the Young Choreographers Showcase, which gives emerging dance artists a fully produced evening and tremendous exposure.

“Margaret is dedicated to mentoring students,” said Isaacs, “and she’s still the most giving woman and teacher. Her generosity continues to thrive.”

The Margaret C. Marshall Dance Endowment will exist in perpetuity to support innovative and imaginative combinations of choreography styles taught in the department, including but not limited to ballet, contemporary/modern, jazz dance (including hip hop, musical theater and tap) and cultural dance styles. These productions will be choreographed by faculty, visiting artists, graduate or undergraduate students enrolled in dance classes, and performed primarily by undergraduate dancers, according to the university’s announcement.

Kris Eitland grew up performing dance and theater. She continued intensive studies in modern dance and choreography at the Univ. of Minnesota, Duluth, and San Diego State Univ. She started writing about dance and the arts while completing her journalism degree. She has covered dance and the performing arts since 2004. Her critiques and features appear in Dance Magazine, Dance Teacher, TheatreForum, CityBeat, ArtPulse, and The La Jolla Light. Her career includes stints in commercial and public radio news production. Eitland has won numerous Excellence in Journalism awards from the San Diego Press Club. She has served on the Press Club board since 2011 and is a past president. She is a co-founder of sandiegostory.com.

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